The intersection of Main Street and Broad Street on the west side of downtown Fairborn is another area slated for new housing. Fairborn is in conversation with a developer to construct multi-family housing on the former site of the American Legion Post 526, the city said.
“It is our belief housing is needed in the downtown area to assist with the redevelopment of the downtown,” a spokesperson for the city said. “We are very fortunate to have a traditional downtown that is walkable and we look to capitalize on that by providing housing within walking distance of the existing and new businesses.”
The American Legion operated at the site for many years before WesBanco foreclosed on the property in 2016. The American Legion Dignam-Whitmore Post 526 still operates in Fairborn at the city’s senior center on 3rd Street. The city acquired the building in 2018, and greenlit the demolition of the site in 2022 due to its poor repair.
Another focus is the redevelopment of Skyway Plaza. The former shopping center also went into foreclosure in 2016, and Fairborn transferred the property to the the city’s Community Improvement Corporation last August. Fairborn also received a $1 million strategic community investment fund grant for the redevelopment of Skyway Plaza last year.
Plans for the property include building a 40,000-square-foot Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, office space that would be suitable for defense contractors.
Other priorities include sustainable and green design, enhanced connectivity, including improved transit options and bike lanes, and recreational and social spaces.
Fairborn’s Memorial Park, a 2.5-acre site to honor military veterans, law enforcement personnel, and late city employees, is expected to be completed in early 2025.
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